Mounting device for suspended ceilings and the like

ABSTRACT

An elongated wire rod has an end portion which is deformed so as to have undulatory configuration; the remainder of the rod is straight or substantially straight. A longitudinally slotted expansion sleeve whose inner diameter is smaller than the maximum transverse dimension of the undulatory end portion is slipped onto the rod and forced onto the undulatory end portion, to be expanded thereby. It can thus be wedged into firm contact with the material surrounding a bore hole in a structure to which a ceiling or the like is to be added. The component to be anchored is then secured to the straight end portion which projects out from the bore hole.

United States Patent [191 Fischer Jan. 14, 1975 MOUNTING DEVICE FOR SUSPENDED CEILINGS AND THE LIKE [76] Inventor: Artur Fischer, Altheimer Strasse 219, D-7241 Tumlingen, Germany 22 Filed: June15,l973 21 Appl.No.:370,537

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 11, 1972 Germany 2233933 [52] US. Cl 85/79, 52/39, 52/714 [51] Int. Cl F16b 13/04 [58] Field of Search 52/714, 705, 39; 85/74, 85/78, 79

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,052,793 9/1936 Peirce 85/74 2,384,321 9/1945 Lees, Jr. 85/78 2,878,668 3/1959 Starling et al 85/79 X 3,478,640 11/1969 Elders ..85/79X Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-Carl D. Friedman Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Michael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT An elongated'wire rod has an end portion which isdeformed so as to have undulatory configuration; the remainder of the rod is straight or substantially straight. A longitudinally slotted expansion sleeve whose inner diameter is smaller than the maximum transverse dimension of the undulatory end portion is slipped onto the rod and forced onto the undulatory end portion, to be expanded thereby. It can thus be wedged into firm contact with the material surrounding a bore hole in a structure to which a ceiling or the like is to be added.

The component to be anchored is then secured to the straight end portion which projects out from the borehole.

3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure MOUNTING DEVICE FOR SUSPENDED CEILINGS AND THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION sleeve is then driven into this bore hole onto the expan der member, to be expanded thereby into wedging engagement with the material surrounding the bore hole. The expander member is provided with hooks or similar means on which wires or straps can be hung, and the ceiling is then in turn secured to these wires or straps.

It is also known to provide the expander element with a central bore which terminates at one end of the expander member in a transverse groove into which the suspension wire can be inserted.

It is clear, therefore, that the known suspending devices for the purposes here in question utilize three components, namely the expander member itself, the expansion anchor sleeve which is expanded by the expander member, and the wire or strap which is to be secured to the expander member. Since the use of this type of device is becoming more and more popular, not only for suspended ceilings but also for suspending pipes and similar elements from support structures, and since the number of these devices required is therefore steadily increasing, it is desirable to be able to produce these devices at less expense than heretofore, and also to make them simpler to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to overcome the still existing drawbacks of the prior art.

More particularly it is an object of the present inven tion to provide a mounting device of the type outlined above which can be produced more simply and less expensively than the prior art devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device which is extremely simple to use and can be very quickly installed.

In keeping with these objects, and others which will become apparent hereafter, the present invention relates to a mounting device for suspended ceilings, pipes and the like which, briefly stated, comprises an elongated rod having a first end portion and a second end portion, one of these end portions being adapted for insertion into a hole in a support structure and provided on opposite sides with corrugations so as to have an undulatory configuration. A longitudinally slotted expansion sleeve is provided, having an inner diameter smaller than the maximum transverse dimension of the one end portion, so as to become expanded by the same when forcibly advanced along the rod and into a hole in which the one end portion is located. Securing means is provided for securing an element to be suspended to the other of the end portions of the rod.

The rod may advantageously be a wire rod and the corrugations are formed by deforming the material of the rod so as to have the desired undulatory configuration. This deformation can be produced very readily in an appropriately shaped die, and the waves or projections which are produced will act to expand the expansion sleeve when the same is forced onto the undulatory end portion.

The use of the device according to thepresent invention is most simple, not the least because it requires only two components rather than the three components needed in all prior-art devices of the type in question. It is merely necessary to insert the undulatory end portion of the rod into a bore hole of a support structure, and thereupon to slip the slotted expansion sleeve onto the other or outwardly projecting end portion of the rod, whereupon it is-advanced along the rod until it reaches the undulatory'end portion. The sleeve is then forced onto the undulatory end portion, whereby it becomes expanded into firm contact with thematerial in which the bore hole is formed, so that the device is now anchored in the support structure. Various ways of forcing the sleeve onto the undulatory portion will offer themselves to those skilled in the art. I have found it particularly advantageous to use a simple device which is essentially in form of a cylindrical member having a central bore through which the outer or trailing end of the rod is inserted. The cylindrical member, which is to act as a driver or an anvil, should be heavy and need merely be flung upwardly along the rod into repeated teristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The single FIGURE is a somewhat diagrammatic sectional view, illustrating a device according to the present invention installed in a support structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing the drawing in detail it will be seen that reference numeral 1 identifies the device according to the present invention in toto. The mounting device is to be secured in a bore hole 2 of .a support structure, here assumed to be a concrete ceiling. It is composed of an elongated rod 6, which may be a wire of appropriate strength and thickness, and an. expansion sleeve 4 having a longitudinally extending slot 5, or more than one of these. The leading end portion of the rod 6 is to be inserted into the bore hole 2 and is provided with an undulatory configuration, that is. it has alternating waves or projections 7 and depressions located between them. The waves are produced by forming in the side of 'the rod opposite the respective wave a depression 7a, so that each wave 7 has located oppositely it a depression 7a. The necessary shaping can be carried out in a die. In the direction towards the front end of the rod 6, that is inwardly of the bore hole 2, the spacing between the individual depressions 7a increases, as does the depth of the depressions and therefore the height ofthe waves 7. This assures that the end portion provided with the depressions and waves diverges in its maximum transverse dimension in forward direction, thatis inwardly of the bore hole 2, whereby the spreading-apart of the expansion sleeve 4 is facilitated.

To mount this arrangement in the structure 3, the end portion having the undulatory configuration is inserted into the bore hole 2, and the sleeve 4 is placed onto the outer trailing end of the rod 6. A suitable device, or even a hammer or the like, is now used to drive the expansion sleeve 4 into the bore hole. The sleeve 4 is initially not in expanded condition but upon contact with the waves 7 of the undulatory end portion, and as it is driven into the'bore hole 2, it is expanded radially by the waves 7 until it is wedged into tight engagement with the material bounding the bore hole 2, as shown in the drawing.

The end portion 8 of the rod 6 is threaded in the illustrated embodiment; in other words, it is provided with means for suspending a ceiling panel, pipe or the like. In the illustrated embodiment I have shown by way of example two ceiling panels 9 and a nut 10 which can be threaded onto the end portion 8 and is provided with transversely extending noses or projections 11. The ceiling panels 9 have undercut grooves 12 into which the projections 11 can be inserted, so that the panels 9 are now suspended from the structure 3. Of course, other ways are conceivable for suspending the panels 9 by means of the novel device, and of course pipes or other elements could be suspended in lieu of the panels 9.

The device according to the present invention insures that it will always be reliably secured in the structure 3. This is in contrast to the prior art where the expansion sleeve and the expander member may be firmly secured in the support structure, such as the structure 3, but the wire or strap connected to the expander member may become disengaged unintentionally.

The increase of the height of the projections 7 in the direction towards the leading end of the rod 6 assures not only a better expansion of the sleeve 4, but also a better retention of the device in anchored condition in the bore hole 2. Y

The spacing between the individual depressions 7a and also the individual depressions 7 in the direction towards the leading end of the rod 6 is not absolutely necessary, but it has the advantage that none or at least no significant weakening in the cross-section of the rod 6 cantake place as a result of the formation of the waves 7 and projections 7a. By increasing the spacing tional and commercially obtainable expansion pin. The use of such expansion pin provides for a further increase in the retentive capability of the novel device, because the inherent expansion tendency of such a pin is added to the expansive force which is supplied by forcing the pin onto the undulatory end portion of the rod 6. This increases the anchoring strength in the bore hole 2. In addition, such expansion pins can be produced very simply and inexpensively in continuous operation. Their elastic characteristic and their high resistance to wear are produced or enhanced by an additional surface hardening operation.

lt is advantageous from a point of view of manufacturing the rod 6 if the depressions and waves formed in the undulatory end portion are of trapezoidal or essentially trapezoidal configuration as seen in longitudinal direction of the rod 6.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a mounting device for suspended ceilings and the like, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, sincev various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intendedto be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims. v

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent as set forth in the appended claims:

1. A suspension arrangement, comprising an element to be suspended from a support structure; an elongated rod having an undulate first end portion and a second end portion, said first end portion being adapted for in-- sion sleeve of substantially cylindrical shape having an inner diameter smaller than the greatest distance between two wave crests located at the respective opposite sides, so as to become expanded when forcibly advanced along said rod from said second end portion and into a hole in which said first end portion is located, whereby said sleeve and said rod become anchored in said hole; and securing means for securing said element to said second end portion.

2. A mounting device as defined in claim 1, wherein the spacing between successive ones of said waves increases in direction away from said other end portion.

3. A mounting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said rod is a wire rod. 

1. A suspension arrangement, comprising an element to be suspended from a support structure; an elongated rod having an undulate first end portion and a second end portion, said first end portion being adapted for insertion into a hole of the support structure and having at two opposite sides respective waves, the transverse distance between the crests of waves at said opposite sides being increasingly greater in direction away from said second end portion; a longitudinally slotted expansion sleeve of substantially cylindrical shape having an inner diameter smaller than the greatest distance between two wave crests located at the respective opposite sides, so as to become expanded when forcibly advanced along said rod from said second end portion and into a hole in which said first end portion is located, whereby said sleeve and said rod become anchored in said hole; and securing means for securing said element to said second end portion.
 2. A mounting device as defined in claim 1, wherein the spacing between successive ones of said waves increases in direction away from said other end portion.
 3. A mounting device as defined in claim 1, wherein said rod is a wire rod. 